Dare to Dream - Guest Post

I wrote a guest post for my friend Whitney's fabulous blog Dare to Dream today. If you leave a comment at the end of my post (or any of the guest posts this month), you are eligible to win a spa gift certificate from Whitney.

In fact, while you're on Whitney's blog, you should read back through some of the guest posts. I've really enjoyed each and every one. There are such amazing women out there doing fabulous things - everything from running complex businesses to raising their children. Here are some of my favorite guest posts from the past month:

Alyson Jenkins: Be Your Own Batman
Aselin Maloney: Daddy's Little Girl
Saydi Eyre Shumway: The Snapshot that Changed My Life
Melissa Stanton: Don't Just Think It, Ink It
Athelia Wooley: Fortunate Frustrations
Rebecca Ellsworth Menzie: Memoirs of My Mother
Christine Vick: Simply Living

I also wrote a follow up post on my photography blog. A comment there makes you eligible to win a Basic Family Collection photo shoot. And if you don't live in Boston, I'll be in Utah in July and Washington D.C. in August, so go ahead and sign up if you live in those areas. Or if you know someone you can give it to as a gift.

P.S. I'm closing comments on this blog post so that your comments can go on my photography blog or on Whitney's blog to be eligible for the GIVEAWAYS!

Thoughts at Spinning Class

Spinning bike
(a.k.a. physical torture device)

I arose at the bright and early time of 5:15 this morning to go to my first spinning class. A brief rundown of my thoughts during the class:

• Ouch.
• How does this stupid bike work?
• Padded biking shorts suddenly seem like a good idea. And they seemed so wrong before.
  
• I didn't know I could sweat this much.
• Ouch.
• The girl two bikes over had sweat in puddles on the floor underneath her. I guess I have something to shoot for.
• This music is lame.
• I'm getting a good workout and I couldn't have done this two weeks ago.
• Seriously. Ouch.
• Getting up early can be nice.
• Standing up on a bike was never so welcome. I think all the body parts I sit on have fallen asleep from the concrete bike saddle I'm riding on.
• I just drank 40 ounces of water during one exercise class.
  
• Glad I came, but ouch.

I'm going to add it in to my regimen. What regimen, you ask? I set a tiny goal after my visit to the Beehive State and having a conversation with my SIL Emily. I decided that I would exercise at least 30 minutes Monday-Saturday. No excuses. Find a way to get it done. My first goal was to do this for 3 weeks. I am starting my third week today. It's going well. I'm excited. It was time for a lifestyle change. I'm doing everything I can to make this one stick. I have a long journey ahead to lose the pregnancy-weight-that-really-isn't-pregnancy-weight-but-overeating-while-pregnant-weight. I already lost more than the weight that I can blame on G-Man. The rest of this I can blame on Moe's queso. And Boston Market macaroni & cheese. And McDonald's. And Dunkin Donuts bagel & egg sandwiches. And those evil KFC mashed potato bowls. (I can't even eat those things now, but hoo-boy did I love them while I was pregnant!)

Thinking

I've been thinking about many, many things lately. Here's a random sampling:

• Traditions - I have come across some fun summer traditions in the last couple weeks. One is an "ice cream for dinner" night. One night during the summer, the family goes to an ice cream stand for dinner and can order whatever they want. The kids love it. The other is a Crazy Cereal Week - the kids get to pick out two cereals at the beginning of the week and they can eat the cereal whenever they want that week. Dinner, snack, anytime. I love traditions associated with holidays, but I think the idea of fun things like this is great too. Any traditions out there that your family loves?
• This article by Elder Russell M. Ballard. I started this blog as a way to share things our family has been doing and somewhere along the way started talking about American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. While I'll continue those things, I may share some of the things I figure out about the Gospel as I learn them. Writing things down helps me remember. This blogger has been a great example to me. I found her blog through this blog, which also has some great Gospel insights.
• Dreams. My friend Whitney has an excellent blog called Dare to Dream. She's been busy starting a hedge fund (a dream of hers) for the past few months and has become quite busy at work. Too busy to blog and mentor, even though that is something she loves too. Her last two posts have been in the back of my mind for days. I'm still not sure how I apply them to myself, but I'm sure thinking about them.
• I realized again today how old G-Man is getting. It's exciting to watch him grow and change and at the same time, so sad that my little baby is gone. Here's my little baby one year ago today: